Maledictus, Cursed Blood
by ALRYM
Summary: - Spoiler warning! - Minor spoiler for Fantastic Beasts 2 - Harry has once more ignored curfew and sneaked into the Forbidden Forest. After getting lost, he comes across Nagini. A witch cursed to live as a snake. Their accidental meeting becomes the first thread of a bond which will change their lives.
1. Nagini meets Harry

_**Nagini meets Harry**_

* * *

A/N: My first crossover!

* * *

Nagini was different from common snakes. She was a magical beast and way bigger than any other snake. There was no creature in the forest she had to fear. She was also more intelligent than any natural breed. As an example, she knew not only who wizards and witches were. She was aware that some of them could speak Parseltongue, the common language of all snakes. However, she had never expected to meet a Parselmouth.

"You don't happen to know the way out of here?" Hearing those words shocked Nagini so utterly that she stopped dead in her trail. She lifted her head and turned it mechanically. Her tongue slipped out to take a sniff.

Her behavior unsettled the wizard obviously because he cried, "I warn you! I got a wand and I'll use it!"

Nagini couldn't even remember the last time she had communicated with a sentient being! She hurried to exclaim, "Snakes never hurt a Parselmouth!"

The young wizard seemed still doubtful. He did not lower his wand but he asked, "Really?"

Nagini hissed positively. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth to smell how young he really was. She slithered a bit closer to get a better look at him. She could sense the warmth of his body but her eyes were not very useful in the almost darkness of the nightly forest. She would have liked to take a closer look at him but he remained a gray silhouette. She was really curious what he looked like. Nagini loved colors. Especially blue! She loved to lie under a blue sky and soak up the warmth of the sun...

"Stop!" he cried once more. "If you get any closer, I'll use magic!"

She did stop but not because of the threat. This wizard was no danger to her well-being. "Nagini," She said and instantly felt the need to clarify, "That is my name."

In exchange for her name, the wizard introduced himself as well. "I'm Harry Potter."

"Nice to meet you, Harry," Nagini said politely.

Harry stared open-mouthed at her. Then he remembered his manners and responded in stride, "Nice to meet you too." His wand wavered indecisively, "You're not going to eat me?"

"No." In imitation of human behavior, Nagini shook her head. "I'm no mere beast. I would never eat a human. There are creatures who are more than just flesh. Like unicorns! Once you eat one of those you lose something of yourself. Something very precious. Humans are like unicorns to me."

Harry stared at her for a while. Then, he shook his head like he wanted to get rid of some pest in his unruly hair. His wand was leveled at the ground. "Do you know a path out of the forest? I'm kind of lost."

"I know everything about this forest. I've been living here for quite some time."

"Which direction do I need to go?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Follow me." Nagini lowered her head to the earth and sidled away. She moved freely through a terrain that was full of obstacles for any other creature. She slithered over the unevenness of the ground like it was not there, slipped her scaly body around tree trunks and pushed through bushes without spending a second thought on them.

Nagini knew that Harry had not an easy time following her. He had to run and occasionally needed to use his wand to cut bushes apart. On one instance he actually hit her.

"I'm so sorry!" he cried out in anguish. He knelt down next to her. "I didn't mean to hurt you." One of his hands rubbed over her back while the other aimed his wand at her to localize where he had hurt her.

Nagini's scales were unblemished. had protected her from his magic. "Don't worry." She hissed kind of amused, "You couldn't hurt me if you tried to." She slithered away feeling his warm hand slip over her sleek body. "Follow me! We're almost there."

Only moments later she slipped through a bush and into the light of the half-moon. She liked to come to this place during the day to look at the blue sky and sunbath.

After cutting his way through the bushes, Harry said, "This is a clearing."

"Very perceptive of you." chuckled Nagini. "Come here where the light is better. I want to look at you."

Harry fulfilled her request and stepped into the sparse moonlight. Nagini could finally examine him. Her initial uncertainty of his age was due to the young wizard being in the transition phase from child- to adulthood. Now she saw that he was definitely closer to the latter than the former. Furthermore, she registered that he had black hair and wore black clothes which she found very bland. His skin had one of the normal human colors. His eyes were something special though. Sadly, green was one of the common colors for anyone living in a forest. A lot of her scales were green too.

Warily, Harry asked, "When will you lead me out of the forest?"

"I've had nobody to converse with for..." Nagini's voice faded away. "Actually, I don't know how long."

"Will you lead me out of the forest at all?"

"Are you in a hurry?"

"I should be lying in my bed right now," Harry grumbled.

"To be fair, you should have been lying in your bed for hours. Curfew is around which time? Ten? Eleven?"

That caught Harry off guard. "How do you know about curfew?"

"That's a sad story. If our paths cross a second time, I might be willing to tell you." Nagini deflected the question. "This time around I want you to answer my questions and to give me some glimpses at another life."

Harry sighed, "And what do you want to know?"

"Why don't we start with something easy?" Nagini asked thoughtfully. "Tell me about the content of your satchel. It smells like a collection of real rarities to me."

Harry put his hands protectively over said satchel. "I'm sure you can find all of this on your own. I managed to after all and I don't live here. You said you knew everything about the forest."

"Oh, you misunderstood me. I'm not interested in those plants but why you're out of bounds to collect them."

The young wizard relaxed but only marginally, "I need them to brew a potion. I'm planning a prank."

"A prank?" Nagini asked. "You're out of bounds for a prank?"

"Not just any prank!" Harry exclaimed, his pride clearly hurt. "It's going to be the greatest prank Hogwarts has ever seen! I'll best the Weasley twins. So far their masterpieces are a real sized dragon out of fireworks and turning an entire floor of the castle into a swamp. They'll finish school this year. So I have no time to spare. I want to see their faces when they realize that I beat them!"

The snake said in confusion, "I thought wizards and witches visit Hogwarts to learn about magic not to compete about playing pranks."

"Well, I do study." Harry huffed, "But once in a while I want to play a prank too!"

"Aren't you too busy with attending your classes and homework?"

"I'm a good student," Harry stated categorically. "I have an Outstanding in Defense, Exceed Expectations in Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Care… of Magical Creatures."

"Are those good grades?" Nagini asked curiously.

"Yes. O is the best possible score and E is the second best."

"So you have the best grades in the school?"

"No. Hermione is and will always be better. She is going to set a new record. She has a perfect score despite visiting more courses than anyone else. But don't try to compare me to her!" Harry warned Nagini. "She is different. She is a genius - the most clever witch of our age. Period. Everyone says so. And anyone who claims I could do as good as she is just not aware of how intelligent she really is!" The last was said in a challenging tone.

"I understand." Nagini tried to imitate a human nod.

Harry grimaced. "Please don't nod or shake your head. It looks really weird."

"Fine." Nagini wondered how the shaking of her head could be any different than a humans. "So you're already doing as good as you can?"

"Look, I understand you're curious about the school." Harry grumbled once more, "And that's okay. There is this huge building right in front of your... tongue. A place you're not allowed to enter. But there is much more to the school then just me and my grades."

"Like what?" Nagini asked eagerly.

"I'll tell you!" Harry said with a gleam in his eye. He began talking about pranks, Quidditch, Houses, magical stuff, various students, portraits, teachers and at the end even about his classes. It was a very enlightening experience and they forgot the time about it.

When Nagini led Harry out of the Forbidden Forest it was almost sunrise. The upcoming arrival was indicated by an orange glow which emerged from beyond the horizon.

"Thanks for helping me out of there," Harry said gesturing at the treeline.

"You're welcome."

"I haven't slept a single minute." Harry groaned under his breath. "Classes are going to be hell today. But talking to you was quite nice. We should repeat that sometime."

"I'd really like that."

"So... where are you when you're not leading lost students out of the Forbidden Forest?"

Nagini had not expected this question. Could Harry really be interested in talking to her? She doubted that... he would be able to find his way back to her favorite clearing. "You know the stone circle?"

"Sure!" Harry chuckled, "I could never forget it even if I tried to. It's where Hermione punched Draco in the face." Harry imitated a right hook. "Right on the nose!"

* * *

A/N: Feel free to point out any mistakes. / I'm looking for a beta.


	2. What is a Maledictus?

**_What is a Maledictus?_**

* * *

Harry brushed a drop of sweat from his forehead. He had never considered that brewing potions could turn into real work. Especially looking at Slughorn that idea seemed rather implausible. Shredding eighty Boomslang skins had taught him better.

It had also left Harry annoyed over his own laziness. If he had prepared the ingredients in advance and not only when he had been in dire need of them, it would have been less taxing. His right hand had actually cramped halfway through the hassle of shredding them in a hurry. But what was done was done.

All he needed to do for the moment was stir the concoction counterclockwise for a few more minutes which he did with his left hand. Tomorrow, a bit more clockwise stirring would finish the potion.

While absentmindedly staring at an hourglass, Harry considered what to do next. It was still early afternoon. The weather was nice too.

Unfortunately, Gryffindor had reserved the Quidditch pitch. Taking his trusty Firebolt for a ride was therefore out of question. The Weasley twins would aim their training bludger at any Slytherin who dared to show his face remotely close to their team's training. So he'd better not give them an excuse to hunt him down.

He could have done his homework. But it was only Saturday. And he worked faster when he felt the pressure of time anyway. The Boomslang skin was proof of this.

He could always check whether Nagini was sunbathing at the stone circle. He hadn't visited her yesterday. And she hadn't been at the circle the day before.

The idea grew fond on him as soon as he had it. His mental activity switched from musing to hoping that she wouldn't be absent today as well.

About an hour later he found the giant snake. She was indeed lazing close to the Megaliths. Despite her considerable size, Nagini was hard to find. Her green and black scales were especially hard to spot since a breeze was shuffling through the tall grass.

Nagini lifted and turned her head only when he had finally detected her and was only a few steps away from her.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm cold." was her answer.

Harry frowned. Upon leaving the castle, he had cast a warming charm on himself. He did the same for her before sitting down next to her.

"That's a bit better." The snake sighed in content. "It's good that you came today. I wanted to tell you that I'll retreat for the winter."

Harry repeated her words in surprise, "You'll retreat for the winter?"

"I'll be asleep for the cold period of the year." Nagini scoffed, "It's what all snakes do. The cold is making me all stiff. I feel tired too. And I've lost my appetite."

"Why haven't you told me that you hibernate?" And why hadn't he realized this of his own? Like every autumn, Hagrid was currently pointing the course at every animal that went dormant for the winter. "So this will be the last time we'll meet until spring?" He made a quick calculation in his head. He did not fancy the result, "That's five months!"

"We can meet tomorrow and Monday if you want to but I'm not sure about Tuesday." Nagini slithered closer to him. She placed her head in his lap and gave a content hiss. "It depends on the temperature and whether it will rain."

Harry noticed that Nagini's body was still cold. He cast another warming charm on her and put his left hand right on her neck. Due to her sturdy scales, Nagini did not fancy petting or a neck massage but she liked the warmth of his skin. "What are you going to do? Dig a hole?"

"I've got a cave." Nagini shuffled more of her body close to him.

Harry felt her press into his back. He knew that she was basically leeching his warmth but she was also a convenient backrest. He cast another warming charm. "Where is the cave? I would like to visit you once in a while."

"You can't." Nagini hissed apologetically, "I'll be asleep. And I wouldn't want you to wander for hours through the forest anyway."

Harry sighed in frustration. He was not keen on taking a break on talking to his newest friend for five months. He had really grown fond of conversing with Nagini. She had an interesting perspective on things. And everything was just so easy with her. It was weird but he felt really close to her despite the fact that he had only known her for little more than a month.

Harry grumbled unhappily in response, "You could have told me before!"

"I'm doing so now." The snake was unfazed by his attitude. "Without the recent cold snap, this wouldn't be an issue for a few more weeks."

This snippet of information made the wizard's ears prick up. "The cold is all this about then?"

"Obviously. That's why snakes sleep during the winter."

An idea formed in Harry's head. "Let me get this straight. If it wasn't cold, you wouldn't sleep through the winter at all?"

"What a weird question!" Nagini rubbed her cheekbone on his belly. "No, I wouldn't."

"Good news! I have the perfect solution to your problem." Harry grinned down at her. "You can stay in the castle during the winter."

"I'm not allowed inside the castle."

"And the Forbidden Forest has its name for a reason." Harry countered her argument easily. "That didn't stop me either. It's not important whether something is forbidden if you won't get caught!"

Nagini hissed, "You think I can't fault your logic?"

"I know a room you can hide in. I've been brewing the Potion I told you about in there for four weeks now and nobody has found it. And I've got this." Harry pulled out a parchment. He tapped it with his wand and thus made brittle lines appear. "This will allow us to sneak you into the room."

It was a bit of a surprise when Nagini's head suddenly left his lap. Usually, she would not budge an inch until he had to get back to the castle. He felt the coil of her body shuffle away which had until now supported his back. She seemed to be set on leaving him behind.

"What's wrong? Where are you going?" He cried out in surprise.

Nagini hissed in distress, "I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you before. But I was never sure how to do it."

"Tell me what?"

"The answer to all those questions I refused to answer."

Harry jumped to his feet and hurriedly followed his friend. She had not stopped at the treeline like she usually did when they said goodbye. He knew which questions she meant. There were a lot of those. But he had figured the truth out without her help. "What does it matter that you came here as some students pet?"

Nagini stopped. Her head lifted from the ground until she was at eye level with him. Once more Harry realized how big she was. But the young wizard felt not threatened. He trusted Nagini with his life. Maybe the fact that she could have killed and swallowed him in one piece at any of their meetings had something to do with that. Besides, they were real friends. They had grown close not because it was easy for them but despite a lot of obstacles. You couldn't be any more different than they were.

Harry explained empathetically, "I don't think bad of you, because you ran away from a student. You had every right to do so and certainly don't need to feel ashamed of it. That happened such a long time ago that it's hardly true anymore! I mean my parents were not even born back then."

"I'm a Maledictus." was all Nagini said before she lowered her head and went back to slithering into the forest.

"A Maledictus?" Harry frowned and wondered whether he was supposed to know what that meant. "I don't know what a Maledictus is."

"Rarely anybody does. They had to explain it all the time." Nagini hissed and accelerated further.

"They? Who are they?" Harry gasped while trying to pick up speed. It was weird how a creature without legs could move this fast.

Nagini answered in a clipped tone, "Go. Ask Dumbledore. Or McGonagall."

"Okay, I will do so if you promise that we'll meet tomorrow to talk about this!"

Instead of giving that promise Nagini vanished in a clutter of broken or uprooted trees. The casualties of a storm one or two years ago.

Harry needed a moment to collect his thoughts and his breath. He decided to approach Professor Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall had been very irritated by the recent pranks of the Weasley twins. And for some reason, she was of the opinion that he was partially responsible for their actions. She reasoned that he and the twins goaded each other.

Once more slightly huffing after the numerous stairs Harry tried to recover his breathing in the Gargoyle Corridor. Before he could address the stone statue on his own, it said, "The headmaster is waiting for you."

A little confused, Harry stepped on the turning stairs. An open door invited him into Dumbledore's office. He looked around. Fawkes sat in all his glory on his perch and trilled welcoming. He took note that the collection of weird silver trinkets had grown. The number of paintings of previous headmasters had not changed as had their ability to pretend to be asleep. "Good evening, Harry. What a nice surprise."

Harry had no idea how this was a surprise when Dumbledore had been waiting for him. "Good evening, Professor. How are you doing?"

"I'm alright Harry. Thank you for your concern. How are you?"

"Fine."

"Have a seat, please!" The headmaster gestured kindly at a chintz seat in front of his desk. "Would you like a toffee?"

"No, thank you."

Dumbledore leaned forward and said conspiratorially, "I was waiting for you to come to me. In fact, I was expecting your visit a bit earlier."

"Excuse me?" Harry asked dumbfounded.

For a long moment, they stared at each other over the huge desk. Dumbledore looked over his half-moon spectacles and Harry through his round glasses. "Maybe I've gotten a bit ahead of our discussion?"

Harry had no idea what the older wizard was talking about.

"I'm sorry. I did not mean to interrupt you or your line of thinking." The headmaster chuckled softly. "Maybe we should do this the classic way?" When Harry had no immediate answer for that he aimed an expectant look at him. "You wanted to talk to me?"

This was definitely weird. The student scratched his head. "Yes."

"And what about?"

Harry accepted the weird situation with a shrug and asked, "What is a Maledictus?"

Dumbledore asked calmly but with an unusual pronunciation, "And why would you ask such a question?"

A light bulb went on in Harry's head. "You know about Nagini?"

The headmaster smiled in amusement. "Your meetings with her have recently come to my attention."

At first, Harry was about to ask 'How?' but he thought better of it and repeated, "So, what is a Maledictus?"

The wise wizard sighed sadly, "So she told you that she is a Maledictus but has not revealed to you what that means?"

Harry shook his head in the negative. "She told me to ask you."

"Yes, that makes sense." Dumbledore sighed again. "It's easier to believe me than her."

Harry snapped, "I would have believed her!" The rock-solid conviction in his voice surprised not only himself.

Dumbledore smiled at him when he did not answer the question once more but asked inquisitively, "What do you think a Maledictus is? You have some kind of theory, don't you?"

Harry thought of rebuking the question. He had come here to get answers not be asked questions. However, he had the distinct impression that playing along would get him the answers faster than complaining about the game. "A Maledictus is obviously some kind of magical beast that looks like a giant snake. She is a magical beast that is sentient like a Sphinx. Though a Maledictus can't speak like a Sphinx but hisses like a regular snake."

Dumbledore gave a single nod. "A very interesting theory. You've taken the things you know and pieced them together. It's a rather obvious approach. Most of the time this manner of thinking leads to the best conclusions." Dumbledore did not say 'but'. However, it felt like he had. "You know from personal experience what werewolves and Animagi are. It is said that a Maledictus is something right in between."

Harry's patience was worn quite thin. He snorted rather undiplomatically, "That makes no sense at all." In a suffering tone, he added, "Can't you just tell me what a Maledictus is?"

"Sadly, it makes perfect sense, Harry." And then Dumbledore explained wearily, "Nagini was born as a witch. Like any Animagus, she could turn into one animal. A snake in her case. But like any Werewolf she was destined to lose control of the transformation. Only she didn't turn into a snake once a month but lost the ability to turn back into a witch over the years. Once that happened she was henceforth stuck in the body of a snake."

Harry gasped in horror, "You can't be serious!"

"Sadly I am." Dumbledore finished his explanation, "Many generations ago one of Nagini's ancestors was cursed. She became a Maledictus. And she passed the curse onto her daughter and so forth until the witch was born you recently met."

Harry shook his head in denial. "That's ridiculous!" Because he thought that it was utterly stupid to use such a curse. Harry claimed, "That can't be." because it should be impossible to do such a thing. It was just wrong. And he also asked, "Who would do such a thing?"

In a manner of answering Dumbledore asked a question of his own, "How can a powerful Dark Wizard try to kill a baby and fail?"

Harry had never understood that as well. Nobody knew what happened on the night his parents were murdered. He gasped. He was not sure which fact surprised him more, that Nagini was a cursed witch or... "I would not have believed her!"

Seemingly without any connection to their current discussion, Dumbledore said solemnly, "Magic can be great in every sense of the word but it also makes terrible things possible."

Harry considered the words. "Okay, so what do we need to do to break the curse?"

"I wish the curse could be broken." Dumbledore sighed. "Sadly, no means of healing a Maledictus are known to wizardkind. It has been tried before. It failed every time. The nature of this kind of curses makes them so persistent. They become a part of their victim. And they can rarely be healed without doing more harm than good."

Dumbledore closed his eyes and told Harry of an experience, "Not long ago, I examined a witch whose family was struck by a Blood Curse generations ago. Her curse was less prominent and severe than the Maledictus Curse. It had even weakened over time. Still, I couldn't help her. Her Blood Curse was ingrained too deeply into her being. Breaking the curse would have killed her."

The following conclusion was disillusioning, "I could not help someone who was suffering from a weakening curse and I certainly can't help Nagini since her curse has grown stronger with every generation who passed it along."

"This is only terrible!" Harry complained. "Where is the so-called greatness of magic?"

"Maybe it is your ability to offer friendship to Nagini." Dumbledore smiled softly.

Harry was not pacified by this statement at all and snapped rather fiercely, "That's stupid!" The bespectacled wizard glared angrily at his headmaster. In truth, he was mostly shocked and sad but in the presence of the old wizard, he held desperately onto his anger. He wouldn't cry for his friend in front of an audience. It was bad enough that he'd cry the next time he'd meet Nagini!

Harry stood and turned to leave. "I'll ask her to move into the school for the duration of the winter." It was an announcement and not a question.

He was stopped at the very last moment before descending the stairs, "One moment if you please."

Harry turned around scowling.

The headmaster waved his wand and summoned a small pile of items onto his desk. "Please hand these back to Nagini. I kept them safe for her."

Harry could hardly justify to ignore this request and therefore stomped angrily back to the desk. He looked over the very small pile. "That's all? Where is her wand?"

"She never had one." Dumbledore said softly, "We were going to get her one but it was never meant to be."

The scowl on Harry's face grew in intensity. He was about to claim the assembly of cheap clutter when one item caught his attention. Right under his nose and on top of everything else lay a hairbrush. A small number of black hairs were stuck to the bristles. Involuntarily, Harry thought of his huge cauldron full of Polyjuice Potion.

"These are pretty long hairs," Dumbledore said casually. "I would say the correct ratio is one on seven shredded Boomslang skins."

"But you can't use Polyjuice Potion to change into another species." It was an almost postscript comment on the description of the potion and it had vexed Harry right from the beginning. He would have really liked to turn some people into pigs and others into peacocks.

"Nagini was, is and will always be a witch, Harry. No matter what she looks like."


	3. Polyjuice Potion

Polyjuice Potion

* * *

His meeting with Dumbledore had shaken Harry so badly that he twisted and turned for hours in his bed before he finally fell asleep. Luckily, his subconsciousness was as exhausted as he and missed the opportunity to harass him with weird dreams.

Harry awoke early and as nervous as he was impatient for finishing his Polyjuice Potion. He went to check on it before breakfast. The recent changes were disheartening. On Friday, it had still been a wonderful violet potion. Its aroma had been rich and it had been a pleasure to stir the fluid. The last violet streaks were slowly vanishing. Soon it would be a slushy grayish-brown mass.

Unable to do anything about the potion Harry checked the stone circle right after breakfast. It was chilly and Harry could suddenly understand why Nagini had announced to retreat. As a snake, she had no control over her body temperature after all.

She was not to be found which wasn't a real surprise. He had never met her before noon.

Harry went back to the castle and finished his homework faster than he was keen on. Grumpy at the Professors, he spent the next hour trying to unearth information on Maledictuses. He found not even out how to write the word. So either there was no information on the curse in the school library or they were sealed away in the Forbidden Section. Or maybe he had no idea where to look for them?

After lunch, Harry became too restless to spend another minute in the library. He decided to fetch Nagini before he finished the potion and thus abandoned his plan of surprising her with a drinkable vial full of Polyjuice.

Back at the stone circle, he couldn't spot Nagini until he nearly stepped on her tail – why wouldn't she wait for him at the same spot two days in a row?

In a manner of greeting Nagini hissed, "Why do I never smell a female on you?"

Harry smirked because his friend must have had a bad day too. "Is that your way of asking whether I have a girlfriend?" He stepped closer but did not sit down. "Or was this an attempt to relieve the tension?"

It was not unusual for Nagini to not answer certain questions. Harry had always thought she ignored them. This time however he imagined her to roll her eyes at him. Over the course of the day, he had so far done everything to avoid imagining her as a witch but his resolve crumbled now that he was here with her.

The most natural for him was to imagine her as being of equal in age as him. However, he knew that was wrong. He guessed that she was close to Professor McGonagall in age but despite that fact she would take the appearance of a preteen witch once she drank Polyjuice of herself. She had turned into a snake before she got her wand after all.

Nagini interrupted his musings, "Have you talked to Dumbledore or McGonagall?"

Harry nodded in confirmation. "I met with Dumbledore."

The witch twisted her snake body, nervously rubbing her scales against each other, "He told you what a Maledictus is?"

"Yes." Harry nodded. He had no idea what to say. Should he tell her that he was sorry for her? He felt like that was not what she wanted to hear.

Once more Harry got drawn away from his thoughts by Nagini, "Is that why you're not sitting down? Is our friendship over?"

"No! We are still friends." He hastened to explain, "I'm not sitting down because I want to move you into the castle. I told Dumbledore that I wanted to and he did not object." Which qualified not explicitly as permission to bring Nagini into the castle but as his excursions into the Forbidden Forest proved, Harry hardly cared about inconvenient restrictions.

"I'm sorry for keeping that a secret from you."

"I understand your reasoning." Harry smiled at Nagini. "You can't change into a witch anymore. Therefore, it was of no importance to tell me." He made the first steps in direction of Hogwarts but stopped when he noticed that Nagini was not following him.

"What if I don't want to accompany you into the castle?" She asked cautiously.

The question surprised Harry. "Um, well,... that would be your decision to take." He scratched his head helplessly while wondering whether he should outright tell her about the Polyjuice Potion. But somehow this felt more like a general discussion. "I think spending the winter in the warm castle would be preferable to hiding in the Forbidden Forest."

"I'm doing alright," Nagini said defensively.

"Sure you do." Harry nodded energetically. By now, he felt quite secure that this was indeed a general discussion – maybe about pride or independence? "I don't mean to say that you can't take care of yourself at all. I'm just offering you an alternative. Maybe I'm even selfish about this matter because I would really like to keep talking regularly to you."

Nagini moved a short distance in his and the castle's direction. She stated categorically, "I'm not your pet."

"No! I would never think that." Harry hurriedly exclaimed, "That would be weird. Hedwig is a pet." It was almost funny that he had always thought like this about her. He tried to express his reasoning, "Even before yesterday, I've never thought of you as an animal but always a magical creature on par with the centaurs." In a smug tone, he added, "And I've been right. You've been a witch all along."

Nagini regarded him with a penetrating stare. "Few wizards talk about centaurs like they are more than beasts."

"Well, some wizards think they are better than anyone." Harry shrugged his shoulders, "Ironically, I think they are the scum of the earth."

Nagini hissed in a way that Harry had always thought was her equal of an amused laugh.

When she slithered after him, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Sneaking through the castle, they only had one critical moment. However, the Marauder's Map allowed them to sidestep the almost panicking Ravenclaw who was sprinting in direction of the library. Apart from that, they came not even close to running into any student or teacher. Everyone was busy with whatever they did Sunday afternoon.

Nagini complained about climbing the stairs up to the seventh floor were the Room or Requirement was hidden but that couldn't be helped. Soon enough, Harry walked up and down in front of the wall which transformed into the hidden door. He explained, "You have to pass this wall three times while thinking about the place you need."

The entrance appeared. "If you do it right, you'll get access to the Room of Requirement."

Harry held the door open for Nagini. She hissed approvingly, "The floor is warm."

Once her whole body had slithered past him, Harry followed her. The first thing he did was bend down and touch the stones. Had the room magically created a floor heating or was it a warming charm? "I guess the Room of Requirement changed to suit your needs."

When Harry looked around he barely recognized his potions lab. The huge cauldron was still there and his table as well. Apart from that everything had changed. There was a couch, a bed, a huge wardrobe with weird dresses, and even an open door beyond which he could see the tiles of a bathroom. It was like a small apartment!

Nagini interrupted his inspection, "That's the potion?" She was close to his cauldron and her tongue darted in and out of her mouth to take in the smell.

"Yes, that's the Polyjuice Potion I've been brewing." Harry took a look at its color and found that it was not yet time to add the lacewings. "It'll be done soon."

Nagini's head rose up to take a short look at the simmering liquid.

"Do you know what Polyjuice Potion does?" Harry asked gently. He could not remember whether he had ever told her what kind of prank he had been preparing since before they even met. They had talked about so many things, he had completely lost track of them.

Her answering hiss transmitted Nagini's lack of interest better than any word.

Harry realized that he had never told her about his prank. She had discouraged him about it at every opportunity. Everything else about him or the castle interested her but not his prank.

Harry watched Nagini closely and started explaining, "Polyjuice Potion allows wizards and witches to change appearance. If you put someone's hair into the potion and drink it, you will turn temporarily into that person." She was clearly intrigued!

Harry picked the hairbrush from the table. "Dumbledore gave me this." When Nagini showed no signs of recognition he told her, "This is your brush and those are your hairs." He pointed at them. "Dumbledore thinks, if you drink the potion with your own hairs, you'll get your human body back. At least temporarily."

Nagini had become completely stiff. She did not even blink although that was due to an inability of her reptilian eyes. "And you'll give me some of that potion?"

"Some?" Harry almost choked on the word. "This is all for you! You're my friend! And this can clearly help you. I'm not going to waste a single drop of this on a stupid prank!"

It took her an eternity to say something, "I've got nothing to give you in return,"

"You don't need to give me anything," Harry said categorically. "You've not asked for anything in return for showing me the fluxweed when I had not enough. Or for leading me out of the forest when we met. We're friends. And friends should help each other if they can."

Despite the couch, Harry sat down on the floor. After a moment of hesitation, Nagini placed her head in his lap and snuggled into his back - for once not in search of his warmth. She hissed, "You're the best friend I ever had."

"I feel the same way,"

They spent minutes in comfortable silence. "Aren't you curious what clothes the Room of Requirement has chosen for you? Let's take a look at them!"

A lot of the cloaks and robes were damaged. Some had stains. The rest represented all the levels of hideous Harry could think of.

The time to add the lacewings rolled around sooner then either of them had expected. Harry flipped an hourglass of the right size to cook an egg and stirred the potion clockwise. When the last grain of sand left the upper half of the hourglass, he added the lacewings. He turned the small hourglass around and stirred counterclockwise.

"That was that," Harry fetched a normal-sized vial and filled it with a dose of the Polyjuice Potion. He pulled a single hair of the brush and measured how much length he'd have to add. Wasting the most precious ingredient was the last he wanted to do.

Upon adding the hair, the potion turned green with black streaks. The appearance reminded Harry of Nagini's scales. "Okay, this is it."

Nagini slithered closer and opened her jaws. Since Parseltongue consisted entirely of hissing noises she had never had a reason to open her mouth. Thus, Harry registered in surprise how far she could open her jaws. But his eyes became truly wide when he saw how many teeth Nagini actually had. Harry had expected to find only two very long, retractable poison fangs. But instead of those, she had two rows of fangs on each side of her jaw.

The potion poured down Nagini's throat without any visible swallowing. For a very long moment, nothing happened. Wizard and snake looked questioningly at each other.

"Do you feel something?"

Instead of answering Nagini curled up. Her skin started moving. In shock, Harry watched Nagini's skin move like her flesh was boiling underneath of it. He was close to panicking when her head started deforming in a way that made clear that the Polyjuice Potion was working correctly. Nagini shrunk considerably. Her scaly skin turned pale and black hairs sprouted out of her human head.

Right in front of Harry's eyes, Nagini turned into a witch. An adult one. Not a little girl. Or an elderly lady. Nagini definitely turned into a very healthy and very female woman.

Harry hurried to the wardrobe and picked the first cloak he came across. He rushed back to Nagini who was staring at her own hands in wonder and placed the cloak around her slender shoulders.

"It worked?" Her female and no longer hissing voice cried in surprise. "My voice!" Nagini pulled the cloak Harry had just put over her off again and inspected herself. "It really worked!"

Harry turned away. He decided to stare at the cauldron with the rest of the Polyjuice Potion. He would not glimpse or even think about the naked witch in his back. He had already seen too much. But the temptation was there. The little he had seen made him want to look at her really badly.

He was very glad when he came up with an idea to make her leave the room, "There should be a mirror in the bathroom."

Instantly, the sound of naked feet running on a stone-floor could be heard. A squeal made clear that she had found a mirror, "Look at me! I've not aged a single day!"

Harry was very aware of the fact that Nagini had no age problem. He tried to rearrange his trousers so his erection wasn't too obvious. He knew he shouldn't blame himself because she was good looking and she was the first woman outside of a magazine he had ever seen naked. Nonetheless, he still felt bad about his hard-on. She was first and foremost his friend. She trusted him. And she had been living through years of hardships and did not deserve someone who lechered after her!

Soon, the rushing of running water, the brushing of teeth and a lot of other bathroom sounds could be heard.

Harry busied himself with magically bottling the Polyjuice Potion. While doing so, a smile crept on his face. He was glad and oddly proud about helping Nagini.

At some point, his mind registered that there were no more sounds coming through the open bathroom door. When he glanced in slight worry over his shoulder he saw the naked witch pout at him, "I was hoping you'd visit me in the shower..." She let the cloak slip from her shoulders, revealing that she was still completely naked. "But I guess it doesn't really matter. We can just make up on the lost time."

Harry's protests like "I don't want to take advantage of you!" were laughed away. He ended up on the bed just as naked as Nagini getting guided through his first and second time by the very eager witch.

* * *

A/N: In regards to the rating of this story, I'm copying a technique of Gandalf's Beard. You'll find a more explicit version of this chapter on AO3.


	4. Magic is Hard

**Magic is Hard  
**

* * *

Hours turned into days and days into weeks. Nagini was once more human. She wore clothes, ate cooked food and talked to people. Not many but what kind of person counted how many people she talked to on each day anyway?

She even got a wand and permission to take her O.W.L.s. - which was ironically the only reason she was allowed to keep it.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Nagini stabbed her new wand at a blue writing quill.

Nothing happened.

"It's Levi-O-sa." Harry said patiently and added, "And please remember the swish we practiced."

Nagini frowned. Why had she forgotten to swish her wand? She knew that a swish of her wand was required for the spell to work and wondered why she hadn't added one. "Okay," She flicked and swished her wand while speaking the magical formula for the hundredth time, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The feather twitched. For the shortest moment, she thought she got it but the fluffy blue feather did not start to float and when she leaned forward to take a closer look it hadn't moved at all. Maybe she had just moved her head.

"You nearly got it that time." Harry requested encouragingly, "Once more."

Frustration was bleeding into her voice, "That was nothing."

"No! You're nearly there. You just need to concentrate." Harry almost begged her, "Come on, once more."

There was no way to tell him no. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Nagini swished her wand at the quill but once more it remained unmoving. "I'll never be able to do this!"

"You have to believe in your abilities. You're a witch!" Harry lectured her, "The intent is very important for casting. You have to expect the feather to move. Here watch me. Wingardium Leviosa!" The quill started hovering before Harry's wand. When he pointed somewhere the feather would move into that direction. "See? I know you can do that too."

Nagini had no idea where Harry took his optimism from. "No. I can't. I'm an awful witch."

"No, you're not." The young wizard placed the feather with an elegant swish right in front of her – like it wasn't hard at all. His voice was soft and encouraging, "You're just a beginner. Everyone in my class had problems doing magic at first. The first time we practiced this special charm in Professor Flitwick's class, there was only one witch who managed to make her feather float." Harry added dismissively, "But that witch was Hermione. And I already told you she's a genius. So she doesn't count."

By now, Nagini knew Harry well enough to not only hear what he said but also what he forgot to mention. "And how many wizards managed the spell?"

His brows rose dramatically and he mumbled reluctantly, "Um... one?"

"And who was that wizard?"

"Me actually." Harry hurriedly explained, "I watched Hermione do the charm and when I tried to imitate her, I managed it."

"Is that supposed to make it less impressive?" Nagini rolled her eyes.

"I had been swishing and flicking my wand for more than an hour by then." Harry huffed, "I was not only looking at her one time and then miraculously managed to make my feather float."

"It's still impressive." The witch grumbled, "You've shown me time and again how the spells work. How often was it? Twenty times? Or thirty?"

"Flitwick showed us how to do it too," Harry said modestly.

Nagini wondered whether Harry was just unbelievably humble or if he really had no idea that he was an excellent wizard. She had taken a look at the recipe for Polyjuice Potion and it was beyond complex. Brewing it took an entire month! And Harry had gotten the potion right on his very first try. In her opinion, he had to be a genius to pull that off.

Harry interrupted her musings, "One more try? And please make sure that you picture the floating feather in your mind. You have to expect it."

The witch sighed. She had not known that doing no magic could be so taxing. And she should be an expert on that matter. Despite being a witch, she had done no magic her entire life. Nonetheless, she gave it another try. First, she concentrated on the image of the blue feather in mid-air. All she had to do was remember what Harry had shown her. Then, she spoke the syllables carefully and managed to flick and swish her wand at the appropriate times. The feather flipped over.

Nagini squeaked in surprise.

"See?" Harry exclaimed in excitement, "I told you so!"

Spurred on by her achievement, Nagini flicked and swished her wand harder than ever. Sadly, it was to no avail. The feather stubbornly refused to move at all.

"Well, that was not too bad. You nearly had it that one time." Harry said in a cheery tone. "Tomorrow you'll manage it. I'm certain. Just think of the Lumos. You got that one too!"

Already sobered from the high of her almost achievement, Nagini rejected the praise, "My light is still blueish."

"So what? Your light is bright." Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not aware that the color is of any significance."

Nagini huffed, "Stop trying to be nice. It's a first-year charm. I'm an adult witch and I can't do it right!"

"That's not true and you know it." Harry objected instantly. "You can do it. And I'm not nice to comfort you. You're too critical about your progress. You'll master this charm soon enough."

Nagini bit her bottom lip to keep herself quiet. Arguing Harry was useless. He was too stubborn. It was usually her who gave in.

The pep-talk went on, "You just need time to get used to using magic. That's all. Just remember, you only got your wand three weeks ago. You'll have to get comfortable with it. You can already do two spells and three charms. And you nearly managed to get that transfiguration right. I couldn't do that much after only three weeks in Hogwarts."

Considering his notes that was probably true. However, Harry had once more forgotten to mention another little fact. She pointed at his old notes. "I'm too slow. Look how much we still have to go over!"

The young wizard did not falter, "We're making headway and that's all that matters."

"No! Please, look at all this stuff." Nagini gestured at the huge pile of parchments and the pile of books from your first year. She did so without putting her wand away since she was sure it couldn't do any harm. "Even if I get through all of that, I'll never manage to do so in time for my O.W.L.s. I can't memorize all the stuff in one and a half years that others learned in five years of school. I'm neither clever or skilled enough for that!"

"Don't say that!" Harry pulled Nagini into his arms. "You'll be a brilliant witch!"

Harry's hug was really comforting. Nagini placed her head on his shoulder. Even though her body was warm on its own it was still nice to feel his warmth against her own. She whispered into his neck, "But I'm still right."

When Harry noticed that she was looking over his shoulder, he let go of her and turned to stare at the huge stack of parchments and the thick tomes he had used in his first year. "Okay. Let's focus on one class then."

A wave of relief washed over Nagini. "Really? Which one?"

Harry thought about her question for a moment. "Charms."

Nagini whined, "Charms of all things?"

Harry nodded firmly, "I think that is the best choice to get you started! You'll need to practice working with a wand to be a real witch. Once you get better at that you'll have an easier time in Defense and Transfiguration."

Nagini wanted to object but Harry's gaze was full of determination, "Okay," She snuggled into his side.

His arms curled around her waist and back. Harry whispered into her black hair, "How long until you turn back?"

Nagini answered in a seductive purr, "Almost an hour."

"Excellent! Let's go and find Hermione. She can make a study plan for you."

"But... I thought we..." Nagini looked meaningful at the bed that always appeared whenever they used the Room of Requirement.

Harry pulled her out of the room before she could protest further. They were already on their way when he cared to glance at his magical map. "Hermione is so predictable."

The castle wasn't too familiar to Nagini yet but only halfway to their destination she asked, "She's in the library isn't she?"

"Indeed." He asked in mirth, "Who would have guessed that?"

"Maybe she isn't as clever as you think." Nagini suggested softly, "I mean she's studying way more than you do. If you consider this it makes sense that her grades are better than yours."

Harry nodded but still said "No." in a firm tone.

It made Nagini frown in confusion.

"Hermione is not only studying what we are supposed to learn. She knows things about magic most people will never be aware of." They walked down a corridor in thoughtful silence before he added, "I actually pondered about asking her about your curse."

Nagini hissed in alarm.

"I did not! I would always ask you before approaching anyone." Harry assured her by squeezing her hand. "Besides Dumbledore told me she won't know anything about it. He personally checked the Restricted Section fifty years ago for any dark magic and removed anything suspicious."

"Why is a part of the library restricted then?"

"The magic there is considered dangerous," Harry answered without delay. "Not necessarily in a sinister way like curses. The recipe for Polyjuice Potion is kept there too. If you mess the potion up in any way there can be serious consequences."

"Like?" Nagini asked in a worried tone.

"Don't worry. The batch I brewed came along just as described."

"Okay, but should I look for certain side effects?"

"No, you're fine. The consequences of a messed up Polyjuice Potion are not subtle. We are talking about things like being stuck mid-transformation or ..." Harry coughed unwilling to go on.

"Or what?"

"Look the potion was perfect. The color, the smell, and the fumes were just as described in the book - at all stages of my brewing."

Nagini tried to tune her voice to express that she would not let this slide, "Harry!"

"Fine. Just remember you asked for it:" He took a deep breath, "One's skin could peel of while transforming."

"Oh?" She asked in surprise. "That's all? I thought it was something bad."

Harry gaped at her but he had obviously no idea how good it felt to shed an old and dry skin. Having the itching between her scales stop was a heavenly feeling.

They found Hermione sitting at the table in the Transfiguration section of the library. "Do you want me to talk to her?" Harry whispered into her ear. It made her shiver in the most delightful way.

They were hiding behind a shelf full of books. Nagini whispered back, "I don't know. Is it hard to talk to her?"

"Depends..." Harry shrugged his shoulders. "How about I introduce you and we go from there?"

"Okay."

They went over to the studying witch. Harry stopped standing beside her table. She was the only one sitting at it but Harry asked nonetheless, "Are these seats taken?"

Hermione looked up. A slight glare was on her face. "You can see that they are not. Just try to be quiet and don't disturb those who are actually here to get some learning done."

Nagini looked questioningly at Harry. She tugged at his hand and tried to tell him with her eyes to leave Hermione alone. But instead of doing so Harry just pulled a chair out for her.

"Funny, that's why we're actually here but we're still going to disturb you," Harry said lightheartedly while Nagini reluctantly accepted the offered seat.

This time Hermione glared for real, "Don't talk in riddles! Just spit out what you want."

"That's Hermione Granger, uncrowned Queen of Ravenclaw," Harry said with a smirk so prominent that Nagini knew it was there despite him still standing behind her.

"I'm not!" Hermione snapped.

Harry chuckled, "So the rumors are actually true and the Ravenclaws held a secret coronation ceremony for you?"

Hermione's eyes became wide as saucers, "There is no such rumor!"

"Anyway, this is Nagini Dubois. I'm sure you heard some rumors about her, by now."

"Pleased to meet you," Hermione said and glanced at Nagine. Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to Harry, "Don't start such a rumor about me!"

"But it's actually a cool rumor!" The young wizard complained. "Can't you see it? The golden crown, decorated with little books. Instead of a scepter, you get a special quill..."

"Harry!" Hermione hissed in a warning tone.

"Okay, fine. No rumor."

Hermione huffed, "Thank you!" Just like that, she turned back to her book.

"So-o..." Harry stretched the word.

Hermione looked up from her notes exasperatedly, "What is it?" She whined, "Why are you bothering me? We are even."

"I'd like to ask a favor from you."

And just like that Hermione's attitude changed completely, "Oh!" She marked the page in her book and looked expectantly at him. "What kind of favor?"

"Nagini and I have a small problem we need your help with."

Hermione gasped. Her skin got a pink color. "That's what Madam Pomfrey is for!" She shook her head. "Seriously, Madam Pomfrey!"

"Hey!" Nagini's voice was sharp and a little louder than those of the two bantering teens. "Watch your mouth!"

Hermione blushed harder, "I won't..." Her voice melted away.

Nagini found out that she was able to stare the other witch down quite effectively. "I don't need that kind of help!"

Red as a tomato Hermione blurted, "Sorry!" She hurriedly glared at Harry who shook like a leaf while he tried to suppress his laughter.

"Don't blame that one on me!" Harry gasped. He barely held back from laughing out loud. "That was all your idea."

"A problem you said?" Hermione's serious tone was betrayed by her still red face.

"Yes. A problem." Harry nodded. He was visibly struggling to keep a straight face. "Nagini wants to become a certified witch. She's here at Hogwarts to acquire the Ordinary Wizarding Level."

Hermione nodded, "That's the gist of what I heard."

"Nagini met the board of governors." Harry made a face, "After taking a look at her they came to the conclusion that she was too old to be a student. Thus she is not allowed to visit classes or even live in the castle."

Nagini spotted Hermione's secret glance easily. She was very obviously trying to guess her age.

"She was given special permission to use the school library for the next one and a half years to prepare for her O.W.L.s."

"So she will take her O.W.L.s. when we take our N.E.W.T.s?" Hermione cocked her head questioningly. "What do you want from me?"

"You're the best student in Hogwarts with the best grades possible." Harry smiled endearingly. "And I know you have the best notes one could ask for. You can also deliver a lecture on anything we learned in the past five years."

"You want me to teach her?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "I'm not a teacher. And I don't have the time. That's a full-time job!"

"I don't expect you to teach her single-handedly." Harry shook his head. "We're just asking for some help. We want to make the best out of this chance."

"You couldn't be vaguer if you tried." Hermione huffed, "Do you even have an actual plan?"

"So far, we figured out it would be a good idea to prioritize Charms at first. That way Nagini would get better at using her wand relatively fast."

Rubbing her temples, Hermione complained, "Please tell me that's not all you got so far." She glared at Harry who looked sheepishly at her. "Do you know nothing? She only has seventeen months left before her O.W.L.s!" Hermione started a long rant about Harry taking school easy all the time and how lucky he was that he was such a gifted wizard. Nagini nodded in agreement. Before she knew what had happened Hermione had written a study plan for her.

Once they were out of the library, Harry grinned cheekily at her, "I love it when a plan comes together."

* * *

A/N: I'd like to mention that Khialat composed a painting for this story. (Thank you on more time!) You can find it on DeviantArt.

Link: www. deviantart ./ khialat/art/Alrym-s-Maledictus-Cursed-Blood-780182020

(Get rid of the spaces and the link should work.)


	5. Fight For Your Life

**Fight For Your Life**

* * *

Nagini had walked up and down three times in the corridor with the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. "This is weird."

"What is weird?" Hermione looked up and down the corridor like she was expecting another prefect to appear out of nowhere. It was not even curfew yet! "And where is Harry?"

"He wanted to meet us here," Nagini said while walking back and forth again.

"Maybe, we're in the wrong corridor?"

"No, we're definitely at the proper place."

"And why couldn't we meet right after or maybe even before dinner?" Hermione snapped in annoyance.

"Because he wants to show you something in secret?"

"Will you please stop walking up and down? You're making me nervous."

Nagini took a close look at Hermione. The other witch looked anything but comfortable. Maybe, they overdid the secrecy a little bit? "My walking back and forth is supposed to make a secret door appear."

"A secret door?" Hermione looked curiously around. "Where?"

"Right there." Nagini pointed at the wall right opposite of Barnabas' depiction.

Hermione pulled out her wand and started casting a vast number of spells. This kept her busy for four minutes. "I can't detect anything."

"The secret room is right here." Nagini slapped the wall. "I don't know why it doesn't appear today."

"I can't detect a hidden room." Hermione cast another round of charms. "This wall seems very solid to me. 'Hogwarts: A History' mentions several secret rooms. Are you sure about this place?"

"Yes, I am. I've been in this room quite often."

"Are you sure that it the right spot?" Hermione asked yet again.

"Yes, I am. The tapestry is hard to forget..." Nagini pointed at Barnabas the Barmy who was trying to teach ballet to a gang of trolls.

Hermione's eyes flicked back and forth between the wall, the tapestry, and Nagini. "Look," she said calmly, "I don't want to argue with you but it's almost curfew. Maybe, we should both go to bed. You would get into even more trouble than I if you got caught in the halls after curfew."

"Harry said he would meet us here right before curfew."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe, he ran into some prefects who escorted him to his Head of House? I guess he mentioned that he is at odds with Professor Snape?"

Nagini looked doubtfully at the other witch. "But Harry always came, when he promised to."

"I'm not saying that he is breaking any promises." Hermione explained smoothly, "I just say, let's not get into unnecessary trouble that won't help anybody."

Nagini felt her resolve waver. "Let's wait for five more minutes?"

Hermione hesitated briefly before nodding curtly, "Okay, but only five minutes."

In the end, they hung around the corridor until after curfew. Hermione grew more impatient and nervous by the minute. "You should really go back to Hogsmeade. I'm sure Harry has a good explanation for ditching us. But let's listen to it tomorrow, okay?"

"I don't mind if you want to leave. I'll stay here and wait." Nagini crossed her arms defiantly.

"It's not me I'm worried about!" Hermione hissed. "The worst that could happen to me is detention. You, on the other hand, could get into way more serious trouble." She grabbed Nagini's hand. "I'll escort you downstairs."

Nagini shook her head in defiance. "I'll wait."

Hermione's mouth was already open but a clicking sound interrupted their imminent argument before it could take place. Both witches turned their head in time to see a door swing open just half a step left of where Nagini had claimed was one.

Robed figures stepped out of it. Dressed in black, each of them wore a very recognizable mask. Even Nagini who had never before seen one recognized them as Death Eaters.

Wands were pointed at them. And before either of them could react, they were struck down by spells. Nagini found herself lying on the ground. She had been bound with thick ropes.

"A welcoming committee, what a pleasant surprise!" A deep booming voice commented.

A female voice, notably muffled by its mask, snapped almost instantly, "What are you two doing here after curfew?"

Nagini turned her head to look at Hermione. She had not been bound but was lying on the floor as well. Something was clearly wrong with her. She was twitching like she had a seizure.

"Hermione?"

When she did not reply instantly, Nagini was kicked in the back, "Answer or you'll end up like your friend."

Nagini was too shocked to listen or even realize the pain. She could not look away from Hermione's contorted face. A booted food forced her onto her back. "When we ask you a question you answer!" One of the masked wizards peered down at her.

Nagini had felt the transformation come over her a thousand times. However, in all those instances she had never been truly glad to be capable of it. Being a big, scaly monster had never been something she had wanted to be.

At Circus Arcanus, she had always aimed to slow the process of her transformation down so the spectators could have a good look at her shifting body. This time, however, was different. She intently pulled her second self around herself. Right under the nose of her attacker, she turned into the curse that had shaped her entire life.

Before the Death Eater leaning over her could express his surprise, she lunged at him. Her teeth sunk into his soft throat. Warm blood gushed everywhere.

They both fell down.

Nagini ripped her teeth free and his throat out.

For decades, she had been living in the Forbidden Forest. She had shared that space not only with unicorns and bowtruckles. The forest on the Hogwarts grounds was not a friendly place. There was no space for fancy fairy tales in the wilderness. Huge and intelligent predators roamed the darkness under the canopy of leaves.

Few creatures understood how fast a snake could move across short distances. Nagini unfolded the tangle of her body was and as fast as a whiplash she struck her next target down.

Wands got pointed and spells struck her. They bounced off her scales.

Surviving as the only one of her kind in the Forbidden Forest had not been a certainty. And it was not through luck that Nagini was still alive. She had to fight to remain alive in the vicinity of trolls, hippogriffs, thestrals, centaurs, and acromantulas. None of them had been happy to share the forest with her.

Nagini had taught them all to leave her alone. She had chosen her territory and forced the other beast to arrange themselves around her.

Her tough scales and her steely determination to exist had been hugs boons. But the fact that she was bigger than most other creatures had helped immensely. Nagini was longer than the hallway was wide and wasn't that useful when she catapulted herself from one wall to the other? She bowled the still standing wizards over like toys.

Nagini felt her skin prickle. The Death Eaters were probably using some nasty curses which would even affect a being as resilient as her. But somehow they chose the wrong ones. Pain turned into anger. And the attackers learned the hard way that using the Imperius Curse to control a mind that was set on killing while oneself was afraid of dying was not a good idea. Had Hermione been conscious she could have told the wizard who hurled blood boiling curses that those were not very effective on a cold-blooded creature, to begin with, and that he also needed more power to inconvenience a massive creature like Nagini than the short flicking of his wand could produce.

Her body curled reflexively around one of the bodies lying on the floor. There wasn't even a scream. Just the dull sound of a dozen bones cracking.

These humans had no idea whom they were fighting. They had never experienced the attack of a dozen man-eating spiders out for their flesh.

Nagini knew these things.

She felt an impact. Her body curled instinctively back. She hid her head in between a coil of herself.

A wizard screamed something.

Nagini couldn't understand him the second time better than the first one. Her ears were not meant to listen to human voices.

A third impact shook her body. And there was actually some pain that told her that she was hurt. It felt like a foolish hippogriff was trying to maul her tail. But it wasn't too bad. Long dagger-like claws had hurt her before. They had sunk very deep into her flesh. The scars had healed perfectly.

Despite not seeing her opponent, Nagini knew exactly where he stood. She could feel his footsteps through the ground. She whipped her tail to get him off his feet. When he was down she flung herself at him. She grabbed him and pressed the life out of him.

She looked around and found Hermione lying close to a wall. She had stopped jerking and looked almost peaceful at the moment.

Nagini also noticed another Death eater moving. It was the witch. She was probably hurt. Maybe, she had hit her head when she had been bowled over?

Singlemindedly, Nagini slithered over to her. Her body coiled around the human. She started to constrict. There was only a single groan. Nothing in Nagini's clutch got a second breath. Nagini looked back at Hermione.

The unmoving body made her angry. She crushed until she felt bones crack.

For a moment, she was very tempted to eat one of the humans. Nothing said more, I'm not your prey than eating someone of the attacker's species.

But, she had sworn to herself that she'd never make that step. She was no man-eater.

Once they were out of danger, Nagini realized that she couldn't turn back into her human form.

She slithered closer to Hermione. Her tongue darted in and out to check if there was something unusual about her.

Nothing seemed to be off about her.

Nagini tried to come up with a way to get Hermione to the infirmary. But she could not see how to do it. She could not risk biting the witch to drag her. And wrapping her tail around her was likely harmful as well.

She tried to think of a way to make the nurse come to Hermione.

If she had been anything but a snake she could have made some noise to attract attention. But snakes were not loud.

She looked around. She had just decided to tumble over some suits of armor to make a ruckus when she felt footsteps. Someone was coming.

Instinctively, she turned to face the new threat only to recognized the 'clack clack' of the grumpy caretaker's shoes through the tremors in the ground.

Nagini retreated, hoping her absence would benefit Hermione.


End file.
